History of Natto and Its Relatives (1405-2012 - SoyInfo Center

processing and tests for factory production of tofu and natto].
Shokuhin Sogo Kenkyujo Kenkyu Hokoku (Report of the
National Food Research Institute) No. 39. p. 23-31. Jan. [7
ref. Jap; eng]
• Summary: Two harvesting methods and 4 drying methods
were tested with the middle-sized seed variety Kitamishiro
(Table 1). Address: 1. National Food Research Inst.
(Shokuhin Sogo Kenkyujo), Kannon-dai 2-1-2, Yatabemachi,
Tsukuba-gun, Ibaraki-ken 305, Japan; 2-4. Hokkaido
National Agric. Exp. Station, Memuro, Hokkaido, Japan.
892. Wollner, Joel. 1982. History of Erewhon, macrobiotics,
and soyfoods in America (Interview). Conducted by William
Shurtleff of Soyfoods Center, Feb. 2. 2 p. transcript.
• Summary: Evan Root was the fi rst attendant at the
Erewhon retail store, below street level at 303-B Newbury
Street. He lacquered the walls with Michio. Evan is a great
storyteller, very intelligent. The initial store was just one
room, about10 by 20 feet. Very few people came in to buy
food, so it was more like a stock room than a store. Some
evenings there were lectures there. Redwing Books now
occupies that space. Most of the food (a tin of miso, a keg of
tamari) was just being sent by the Kushis’ friends from Japan
as gifts; it didn’t go through customs.
The Kushis got nigari and made tofu at home. It was not
for sale, but for dinner guests and cooking classes. Joel made
some tofu using lemon juice when nigari was not available.
As tofu started to become more popular, Erewhon
started to buy it from a tofu maker in Boston’s Chinatown.
First they just bought and sold that tofu, but before long (in
about 1973-74) they convinced him to start making nigari
tofu for them. They guaranteed to buy what he made, and
they sold him the nigari at cost. This might have been the
fi rst nigari tofu made in USA. A lot of nigari tofu is still
made in Boston’s Chinatown. Joel thinks the tofu maker was
located on Tyler, Street, perhaps Yah Kee. Nigari came in 66
pound sacks from Japan. Erewhon also sold small quantities
of nigari in the retail store. Chinatown was Erewhon’s main
source of tofu until Laughing Grasshopper appeared.
What was the macrobiotic movement’s contribution to
the history of soyfoods in the United States? Macrobiotic
teachers and students talked and wrote about them, ate them,
and sold them. They felt soyfoods were an important part of
a good diet. They educated people and developed a market
for soyfoods. Few Americans had eaten miso and tofu at
home before 1966–the year Erewhon started. Macrobiotics
were the fi rst Caucasian Americans to really use soyfoods
regularly. Before that, soyfoods (except perhaps soy sauce)
were just interesting oddities. Once could say that the
macrobiotic movement introduced soyfoods to America.
As for tofu, Joel thinks that Michio Kushi’s students
misinterpreted his remarks about tofu being yin.
Macrobiotics now eat tofu regularly, 3-4 times a week. There
are endless ways to prepare it. It’s been years since Joel has
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 288
heard that tofu is “too yin.”
What did The Book of Tofu (published in Dec. 1975)
do for tofu? It expanded its relevance for the Western diet.
Before that book, most of the tofu in the United States was
consumed by people of East Asian ancestry.
Charles Kendall played a key role in making and
introducing natto, mochi, and amazake to Caucasian
Americans. He made these foods in his home and sold them
locally. Initially, it was not a formal / legal business. But
today his business, Kendall Foods, sells $500 a week of these
three foods. He has been making natto for 4-5 years. He was
America’s fi rst Caucasian natto maker. Natto was served in
macrobiotic restaurants in Boston.
The latest soyfood to hit Boston has been tempeh. It’s
been a phenomenal success. Macrobiotics are going crazy
over it. Thom Leonard has been giving lots of tempeh classes
for the past 1½ years. For more than a year, lots of sandwich
makers in Boston have been making and selling tempeh
sandwiches. Tempeh is made into cutlets, burgers, tempeh
mock-tuna salad. Why is it so popular? Because it is rich
and meaty in texture and fl avor–the opposite of rice. Most
macrobiotics crave rich, meaty foods.
Ron Kotzsch is very close to the Kushis. A very
unpretentious person with a wonderful sense of humor, he
is now teaching in North Carolina. He is friends with Helen
and Scott Nearing. He toured China and Japan with John
Denver, the singer and songwriter–who did a benefi t for
Michio’s new college.
How does Joes see the future of Erewhon? He thinks
the company will focus on manufacturing only. Now is
the critical time. He’d give Erewhon a 30-70% chance of
survival. Address: Boston, Massachusetts.
893. Kanno, Akishige; Takamatsu, H.; Takano, N.; Akimoto,
T. 1982. Nattô ni kansuru kenkyû. I. Nattô seizô kôtei ni
okeru toseibun no dôkô [Studies on natto. I. Change of
saccharides in soybeans during manufacturing of natto].
Nippon Shokuhin Kogyo Gakkaishi (J. of the Japanese
Society for Food Science and Technology) 29(2):105-10.
Feb. (Chem. Abst. 96:161110). [29 ref. Jap; eng]
Address: Asahi Shokuhin Co. Ltd., 180-2 Wado, Ushiborimachi,
Namekata-gun, Ibaraki-ken, 311-24 Japan.
894. Ontario Soya-Bean Growers’ Marketing Board.
1982. “Canadian soyabean mission, South East Asia, Feb.
12th–27th, 1982: Mission member reports.” 1982. Canadian
soyabean mission, South East Asia, Feb. 12th–27th, 1982:
Mission member reports. Chatham, Ontario: Ontario Soya-
Bean Growers’ Marketing Board. 12 p. Feb. 12 p. Feb. 24 x
11 cm. [Eng]
• Summary: Contents: Comments, by Peter H. Epp,
Chairman. Japan: Home Shokuhin Tofu Manufacturing
Co., Komatsuya Shokuhin (natto mfg. plant), Nihon
Miso (manufacturing plant), Japan Miso Assoc., Japan